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Book #76: Cryer’s Cross by Lisa McMann

Kendall loves her life in small town Cryer’s Cross, Montana, but she also longs for something more. She knows the chances of going to school in New York are small, but she’s not the type to give up easily. Even though it will mean leaving Nico, the world’s sweetest boyfriend, behind.

But when Cryer’s Cross is rocked by unspeakable tragedy, Kendall shoves her dreams aside and focuses on just one goal: help find her missing friends. Even if it means spending time with the one boy she shouldn’t get close to… the one boy who makes her question everything she feels for Nico.

Determined to help and to stay true to the boy she’s always loved, Kendall keeps up the search—and stumbles upon some frightening local history. She knows she can’t stop digging, but Kendall is about to find out just how far the townspeople will go to keep their secrets buried….

I found Cryer’s Cross during one of my many trips to a used bookstore (I have credit in many stores, by the way) and was intrigued by the blurb in the back and the other cover. The other cover was an old school desk with carvings on it. I have this cover on here because it was the paperback of the book and I wanted to conserve my credit.

The cover of the two teens lying on the ground is nothing special and makes the book more about romance than the paranormal plot device. Though there are scenes with Kendall and Jacian where they are on the ground, I don’t think this was a good cover. Granted, the romance element is a big one and this cover would make sense for romance readers.

Anyway, this book is one of those one day/one sitting reads. It took me about maybe two or three actual reading hours. It is written in third person present tense. I find this tense to be difficult to read and write in fiction. It separates the reader from the story in a way. Though this could be good in a horror like story, it isn’t in a romance.

I wasn’t just surprised about the chosen tense. I also found it interesting that Kendall has a mental health issue. She has anxiety and OCD. Her OCD gave her a characterization that I was excited to see. However, because of the short nature of the book, I feel that Kendall’s OCD was, not cheapened, but wasn’t shown the best. It made the OCD seem like a fad or something to give the M.C. more depth.

That said, the characters didn’t really have much depth. I didn’t care so much about the missing teens or the romance between Jacian and Kendall. The ghost story element was interesting and did have a creepy vibe I appreciated, but that was it.

It is a good read in between books or when you are recovering a book hangover. Will I read more of McMann’s work? Maybe.